A Moment In Time
by Sobeys
Summary: A moment in time can change everything. Misa. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

He stood there, in the the doorway of what used to be the den. It used to have a mahogany coffee table, two armchairs, and a couch that was full of memories of cuddling and deep conversations and...other things. But now it was empty.

He moved on to the kitchen, opening up one of the cabinets. Empty. The fridge was equally as sparse and he looked towards the table where he and Sara used to eat their meals. Breakfast on weekends were always his favourite; they would cook together in their pajamas and then plan their days off together while eating waffles or toast or whatever their hearts desired. He could still picture her sitting there, sipping coffee and pushing a strand of hair out of her face, looking as beautiful as ever.

He hadn't told her that enough. That she was beautiful.

All of a sudden, another image took over his brain. Those same red locks framing a paler version of her face. Her eyes were open but unseeing as she lay there, blood and shattered glass surrounding her.

He had been there when it had happened. He wasn't supposed to be but he had. And maybe if he hadn't she would still be here.

* * *

It was supposed to be a surprise.

He'd packed a large picnic blanket from home along with the bouquet of origami roses he'd spent the past hour making. And on the way, he'd stopped at Sara's favourite burger place and gotten burgers, fries and drinks for both of them - a coke for him and a root beer. As he'd been waiting for his order, his eye caught a chocolate cheesecake on display and he order two slices, picturing Sara's smile when she'd see them.

When he'd finished there, he drove over to the hospital and took the elevator up to the fourth floor, bouquet in his hand. He made his way to the nurse's station to find out where he would find his wife but, before he could get there, he heard his name.

"Michael?"

He turned around, smiling as he instantly recognized the voice, his eyes meeting green ones across the hallway. Sara smiled and started over to him, her mouth opening to say something, probably to ask what he was doing there, but she never quite got the words out. All of a sudden, a nurse ran through the hallway, bumping into a startled Sara, making her fall back and right against a cart full of glass vials. Michael was at her side in an instant, yelling for someone to come and help while he lifted Sara's head onto his lap, barely registering the blood that seeped through his clothes.

He could still see her every time he closed his eyes. Those same green eyes that had stared at him with love and warmth just moments earlier would now stare lifelessly at the ceiling, no longer able to register anything.

* * *

He hadn't been in their bedroom since it had happened three weeks ago. It was too painful to lie in the same bed that they'd spent hours in, making love or just cuddling and planning their future. Just a month ago, they'd been lying there, planning their next vacation. Sara wanted to go to Egypt; she'd always been fascinated by history and she'd been dying to see the pyramids and tombs ever since she was young. Now she'd never get to see them.

Michael walked over to the window, remembering how he would always find Sara staring outside when he got out of the showers in the morning. He'd watch from the doorway as she looked out the window, completely lost in her own world as the sunlight illuminated her face, making her hair look a few shades lighter. He would watch her for a moment before going over to her and hugging her from behind. She'd always smile and lift her hand to stroke his cheek, both of them staring out the window, quietly enjoying each others company. He loved those moments.

"Sir, are you ready to go?"

Michael looked away from the window, wiping a stray tear from his cheek. Clearing his throat, he turned to the real-estate agent, a 5-foot tall woman with light brown hair and very red lipstick. He nodded to her, "Yeah, I'm sorry, I just needed to see the house one more time."

"I understand. It's hard to leave it all behind," she said sympathetically, and Michael noticed some lipstick on one of her teeth. "But the new owners will be arriving shortly so we have to get going."

Michael nodded. "I'll be out in a minute.

The woman nodded, leaving him alone in what used to be his and Sara's bedroom. Running his fingers over the windowsill one last time, Michael turned and left, closing the door behind him.

 **Okay wait. Before you grab your torches and pitchforks, this isn't over. I wanted to try something new so, for those of you that have seen the movie, Sliding Doors, I wanted to try something like that. For those of you that haven't, I promise there's more and I'm pretty sure you'll like it. I'll post it as soon as it's written, which will hopefully be soon.**

 **Happy reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! So this is an alternate ending to the last chapter. I've made some changes but, for the most part, it's the same. Let me know what you think.**

Sitting in his car, Michael took inventory of everything in the backseat. Checking things off in his head, he smiled. All was accounted for.

Turning around, he started the car, backing out of the driveway and onto the road. Driving to his first destination with the windows down, Michael enjoyed the feel of the cool air soothing his sun-warmed face. He turned the radio up, whistling along to the tunes.

He arrived within fifteen minutes for his pick-up. It only took about ten minutes before he was on the road again, headed to his second of three destinations. This was the most important stop on his way and he enjoyed every minute of the trip.

Another ten minutes later, he was turning off his car, sitting in a large parking lot. When he walked into the large, white building, the smell of antiseptic filled his nostrils. It smelled just like Sara's office at Fox River and a wave of nostalgia hit him. He smiled all the way up the elevator, remembering their many conversations in that room, his safe haven over those agonizing few months. They had taken so much from him in there - his freedom, his safety, hell, they took three of his toes...but in return, they gave him something much better - or someone, rather.

As the elevator dinged, opening up on the fourth floor, Michael stepped out, and immediately caught sight of something red in his peripheral vision. Smiling, he watched the red locks of hair being pushed behind their owner's ear as she bent her head, studying a clipboard that no doubt contained the medical information of her next patient. Starting over to her, he stopped for a moment, noticing the bags under her eyes and then retreated, remembering how little she'd slept over the past few days. He realized he'd forgotten one crucial thing and hurried down the hall in the other direction before she could spot him.

* * *

Two minutes later, he returned, two takeaway Starbucks cups in his hands, the smile back on his face. He went back towards the nurses station where he'd seen Sara earlier, but she wasn't there anymore. She was probably with her next patient.

Debating over whether to wait for her at the nurses station or to just call her and let him know he was at the hospital, Michael pulled out his phone to check the time. It was 2:30, which meant that it would be her lunch break in about-

"Michael?"

He turned around, smiling as he instantly recognized the voice, his eyes meeting green ones across the hallway. Sara smiled and started over to him, her mouth opening to say something, probably to ask what he was doing there, but she never quite got the words out. All of a sudden, a nurse ran through the hallway, bumping into a startled Sara, making her fall backwards.

"Whoa!" Michael acted on instinct, dropping the coffee cups as his feet carrying him the two steps towards his wife. Had he been even a step further, she would have fallen against a cart full of glass vials, but luckily Michael caught her just before her head made contact. She held onto him for dear life and he steadied her, both of them in wide-eyed shock.

"Are you alright?" Michael asked, holding her tightly in his arms as if afraid she might fall again.

Sara nodded, making no move to loosen her grip on his arms. "Thanks to you, yeah I am."

He looked angrily after the nurse that had rammed into her, not seeing her anywhere. She didn't even have the decency to make sure Sara was okay.

"It's okay, Michael, she's new. She probably doesn't even realize that she hit me."

"She should have been more careful. You could have been seriously hurt!" Michael exclaimed.

"I know but she's still getting into the swing of things. It's her second day here and she's been running around like a headless chicken, trying to make sure all the doctors have what they need. We were all like that at some point, she'll get used to the busyness of the job soon, trust me." Sara smiled reassuringly, squeezing her husband's hand. "Besides, I'm fine, honestly. I have some coffee on my lab coat, but otherwise all good."

Coffee stains? Looking down, Michael realized that he no longer had the coffee cups in his hand. They were now on the floor, surrounded by the dark liquid that they had contained. "Oops."

"Thanks for bringing it anyway," Sara said, kissing his cheek. "Which reminds me, were you just here to bring me coffee or...?" She looked a little worried that maybe something was wrong.

"Actually, no. Nothing's wrong or anything, but when's your lunch break?"

Sara lifted Michael's wrist to look at his watch and he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing a kiss to her hair. "In about fifteen minutes, but if it's important, I can..."

"No, no, it's fine. I just thought maybe we could have lunch together. I got burgers from that diner by the house, the one you like. And I brought a picnic blanket so we can go down to that park a few blocks away..."

Sara smiled, leaning up to give him a chaste kiss. "That was very sweet of you, Michael."

Michael grinned. "What can I say, I'm just a great husband," he said with a wink.

Sara playfully slapped his chest. "Well, given the circumstances, I can't deny it."

"See?" Michael said, cheekily.

Sara laughed, wrapping her arms around his side. "I'm going to go and see if one of the other doctors can fill in for my last patient and we can go."

"No, no, take your time. I'll just run down the hall and get more coffee while I wait," Michael said, gesturing towards the direction of the Starbucks.

"You sure?" Sara asked. "Because I could just-"

"Yeah, finish up your work. I wouldn't want to deprive a sick patient from the chance to meet everyone's favourite doctor," Michael replied, grinning.

"Alrighty then, I'll see you in a little bit," Sara said, kissing his cheek before she headed in the direction of the nurses station. When she looked back and saw him watching her, her cheeks tinted into a rosy pink and she bowed her head, taking the clipboard she was reading and heading into one of the rooms. Michael chuckled to himself before he went to retrieve the coffees so they could make their way to the third and final destination.

 **Some of you may have already read the second chapter but I just wasn't satisfied with it at all. (I wrote it in between assignments and it was kind of rushed). So I decided to rewrite this chapter and I feel like it turned out a lot better this time. Enjoy! :)  
**


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